Prodigium
by xKesshoux
Summary: Latin: prodigy, portent OR monster, unnatural thing. Neither of them asked for their curse. An attempt at Itachi's life creates a binding contract neither brother wanted, though both will come to accept it. Love is but a fable to vampires such as them.
1. Satus

Alright! I promised a new fic and here it is! However, before we begin, I'd like to get a few things about this out in the open.

This is a collaborative work between myself and my wonderful girlfriend, both fortunately and unfortunately for you, the readers. Fortunately because we work wonders together (If you've read Capture and Break, that's an example of what we can do). Unfortunately because this means that updates will be sporadic at best. To say we could update weekly would be promising too much, I think, but we'll try to keep things moving as smoothly as we can.

That out of the way, this is also partially AU, in that Orochimaru is a vampire. :x Sounds cheesy, I'm sure, but bear with me! Rather than place a curse seal on Sasuke, he turned him. This story takes place post-timejump, prior to the current arc of the manga at this time (currently at chapter...352?), but will deviate from canon (obviously, with vampires and Uchihacest abound), so the spoilers will be kept to a very bare minimum. To try and make it seem more all-encompassing, there will be parts to this story that aren't focused directly around Sasuke and Itachi (most likely, I'm assuming, we're still not sure where it's going :x), but the main focus will be on those two and those around them (we won't randomly jump off into "oh hay look, it's SUNA, let's see how GAARA is doing!" unless it's directly related to something the brothers are doing, that would be silly). But enough of my rambling. Enjoy the story!

For further notes, the character depiction is as follows:

In this chapter, Sasuke was written by me (he will be forever and ever, throughout the rest of this fic, too) and both Itachi and Kisame were written by my lovely (heartheart). We'll be splitting up the characters by who is capable of portraying which, so I'll let you know at the beginning of the chapter who's who and all that.

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**prodigium**: _(Latin) _prodigy, portent / monster, unnatural thing.

* * *

Sasuke reached back, checking for the fifth time that evening to make sure his katana was in its place. He carried nothing but his weapons with him, for there was no need for material possessions when each time he left the lair of his sire he expected nothing less than victory or death, though he always met with simple failure, unable to locate his target as of yet.

This time was no different, and he knew perfectly well Orochimaru (cocky as always, damn the filthy bastard, even if he was his creator) knew that he was leaving. Despite his plans, the elder vampire was always quite flippant about news regarding the whereabouts of one Uchiha Itachi. Really, Sasuke thought, he should know better by now. Examining the blade of his Kusanagi in the meager torchlight, he gave a curt, satisfactory nod before sliding it back into its sheath and slipping silently from the room. By the time he made it through the maze of corridors the sun would be below the horizon; the night would be his to search by, and this time, he told himself, he would find the man he vowed to kill.

A brisk, early-winter wind caught up his raven bangs and the loose attire he wore as he stepped from the mouth of the snake's den, the crimson in his eyes bright despite the clouds that promised rain and blocked out the stars. There would be no moon tonight, he noted, letting his tongue run over the sharp tips of the intruders in his mouth and wondering just how many sleepless nights it had been since he last fed. With a step away from his _master's_ lair, he decided that if he found Itachi tonight, he would dine on traitorous blood until there wasn't a single drop left, so help the man or beast that tried to stop him.

Only a scant half-mile away, in a tree, sat the owner of said traitorous blood. Kisame had gone to sleep a few minutes before, and it was Itachi's turn to be night watch. He sat in a tree, annoyed but resigned to the darkness that further hampered his vision, but hid himself and his partner from anyone foolish enough to challenge them.

Despite the long walk through the forest and across the small countries lining the border of Fire country, Itachi felt restless. Perhaps it was the slight breeze that rustled the leaves, or light chill in the air. Whatever it was, he jumped down from the tree, landing silently only a couple feet from Kisame, and made a fast seal, leaving a shadow bunshin to stand guard while he went for a walk.

It wasn't long, however, before Itachi frowned, noticing the dead silence in the forest around him. Something didn't seem right, but he continued walking, his arms pulled into his cloak and his fingers stroking the cool metal of a few shuriken.

The silence was as the calm before the storm, and Sasuke felt the presence nearby mere seconds before hearing the faint rustle of fabric. He moved closer on silent feet, quickly as he felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest. The feeling was familiar, this time it would be _him_, he _knew_ it.

Apprehension flowed alongside excitement and adrenaline through his veins as he drew near, catching the scent of fire and steel. There was nothing to curb the hunger that rushed through him, slowly eating away at his mind just like the hatred that had driven him since that fateful night. Nothing would stop him from taking what he wanted or dying in the process; half of his goal in life was shattered since he'd become this monstrosity, and if he couldn't attain the other half, he didn't care whether he lived or died.

The moment Itachi came into sight, he made his move.

A civilian would have guessed a wild animal had lunged from the bushes, but Itachi knew better. His eyes were blood red with the Sharingan the moment he'd sensed that murderous intent, and his hands flew from the long sleeves, throwing shuriken at the pale blur that attacked him. His hands went through seals automatically, and he lifted his fingers to his lips, breathing a stream of fire at the enemy. In the light of the blaze, he caught sight of black hair and red eyes, of animalistic madness and fangs, and his blood froze in his veins.

There was no time for shock, there was no time to question, there was only survive or succumb. Itachi repeated the seals and adjusted his aim, and a tree not far from him exploded into flames. Pulling a length of wire from the pouch at his hip, he narrowed his eyes, trying to calculate his younger brother's strength. All he could do was take a chance, though, and Itachi took it, looping the wire through a few kunai and throwing them around Sasuke in an attempt to restrain the boy for a few seconds, enough to buy himself a little more time and knowledge.

There was a flash and the scrape and clang of metal against metal as the kunai were shot down. The light of the nearby fire glinted off the Kusanagi's blade as Sasuke stood poised and ready, moving forward only a moment later to go on the offensive.

"Don't tell me that's all you've got, _brother_!" he snapped, voice laced with the venom of his hatred and the Sharingan burning in his eyes (even more intense with the fire's reflection). Anticipating Itachi's next move, he moved to strike.

Sasuke was stronger, no doubt about it, though it was impossible to tell how much of it was actual training and effort, and how much was the taint of the vampire curse. Itachi dodged the blade, jumping into some overhead tree branches and letting his Sharingan twist into the Mangekyou.

"How disgraceful, little brother... look how far you've fallen." he murmured coldly, slipping a kunai into his hand. All he needed was three seconds, then he could once again defeat and nearly cripple the younger man and be on his way.

Snarling his frustration, Sasuke followed his target into the trees, catching the briefest glimpse of the twisting Sharingan before focusing on Itachi's chin; he wasn't going to get roped into the same trick three times.

Over the crackling fire, he read his brother's words more than he heard them, eyes narrowing sharply. "Do you think I _chose_ to be like this!" he replied, hurling a spherical object towards Itachi with the hand not gripping his sword (a flash bomb, he hoped the man wouldn't notice until it was too late). Closing his eyes before the flash could go off, he focused on his hearing and his sense of smell to pinpoint where Itachi was, knowing that with the Mangekyou in place, the flash would thoroughly disable him.

If only for once, Sasuke's assumption was correct. Itachi didn't expect the flash bomb, and even as it went off, he knew he should have and thoroughly regretted attempting his infamous genjutsu so early in the fight.

The world exploded in a kaleidoscope of red, white, and black,before fading into complete darkness. Itachi jumped to the ground, relying entirely on sound to try and find Sasuke. He was also rather frustrated, as Kisame had yet to arrive, and Itachi knew it shouldn't take this long for the Mist-nin to run little more than a quarter of a mile. His fingers flew through the seals, and he waited in silence to hear the footsteps and words of the man who intended to kill him.

As the light faded, Sasuke opened his eyes again, looking down to see where Itachi had landed. By the looks of things, his attack had worked, a sudden thrill running through him. He knew better than to assume Itachi was helpless; even without sight, he was sure the man was formidable, and yet he had his cover.

The sound of the fire masked his landing, his footsteps quiet enough to be drowned out as well as he approached from behind. This was his chance, the mere thought of bloodshed striking up the hunger within him once more. Still, the anger he had needed more of an outlet than a swift end would allow, and he found himself prolonging the fight with a solid kick to the middle of Itachi's back. The thrill swept through him again at the vibration of the hit through his leg, and he was moving again so his brother wouldn't have the chance to track his position. He knew he would have at the very least a few minutes to let out his anger before the effect of the flash would start to wear off, and he planned to use every last second of his time.

The kick to his spine made Itachi grit his teeth and fall forward, catching himself on his free hand. He rolled onto his back, the fire leaving his lips and blossoming behind him, but he knew he had missed. Righting himself, he drew a few more kunai, catching brief crackles of leaves amid the roaring of the flames. It wouldn't do to waste weapons, but he knew he would have to guess a few times before finding Sasuke. Frowning, he made a fast seal and two bunshin appeared next to him, leaving him free to run and attempt to clear his eyes. He released the Sharingan, in hopes it would work, but found he still couldn't see anything, and he relied on memory and the orientation of the fires and trees to know where he was.

The younger laughed inwardly, dispatching one useless bunshin and then the other (though the pop of their disappearance gave some idea of his movements). What good were bunshin when they had the same disabilities as the original? A smirk twisted his lips as he ran his tongue over his teeth, moving towards Itachi once more.

His second blow was aimed for the side of his brother's head, its goal to further disorient his prey.

This time, Itachi heard the younger Uchiha coming at him, and tried to dodge, but it was too late. Pain blossomed in the side of his head, and he blinked, finding himself on his side and struggling to his feet though he couldn't remember falling. This was very, very bad. He wondered once more where Kisame was, and when his vision would return. As it stood, he was in a horrible situation, almost a worst-case scenario, and he frowned as he pushed himself back up, weighing his options.

Trying his Sharingan once more, he found he'd regained a little of his vision, though the world was still blurry and dim. Raising his hands, he made one last seal, the world growing darker as the Mangekyou took over. He held the jutsu back, waiting for Sasuke to come within range.

For a moment, Sasuke stood perfectly still, the scent of blood reaching him and telling him that he was running out of time to play around. Looking at where his brother stood, he saw the source of the smell, dripping steady crimson down the side of Itachi's face (such a beautiful sight, he had to lick his lips at it).

The seals Itachi made, however, were different, something unknown, and he wondered at the elder's ability to actually see to aim a jutsu. To err on the side of caution was preferable to succumbing to what his brother had to offer, and from where he stood, he calculated. If nothing else, a katon jutsu would be a good distraction, letting him move in to strike, and in the best case... He could force Itachi to disable his Sharingan once more.

That decided, his hands flew through the seals (Itachi would be hard pressed to read them at this distance, anyway), gathering the necessary chakra and allowing a sudden plume of flames to sprout from his lips, making a flanking maneuver as soon as he had the chance. He needed to immobilize the man beyond blindness, and if he managed to get in enough good hits, he could surely back him into a tree and pin him there.

The sudden movement and flash of light before him alerted Itachi, and he raised his hands, narrowing his eyes. Amaterasu spread before him, covering the clearing in nightmarish black flames and countering the fireball, but the brightness of the flames and the chakra drain were too much, and Itachi's eyes returned to normal, stabbing pain making him squeeze them closed and hold his head. He knew, without having to look, that he had missed, and he also knew that he was all but finished. His chakra was tapped out, and he was wounded and blinded, his greatest weapon taken from him.

Well, he wasn't one for regrets, and Itachi had long ago accepted that he would likely die at Sasuke's hands. Still, he could not accept death from someone who's blood had been tainted, someone who had to resort to becoming a monster to defeat him. Itachi's options were limited, and he assessed them carefully. He could retreat, though that would be dishonorable and foolish. He could allow Sasuke to kill him and avenge their clan. Or...

Drawing his last kunai from a hidden pocket of his jacket, Itachi reached up, cutting a long line across the side of his neck. Blood gushed over his fingers, and he dropped the blade, falling to his knees.

_I've won again, otouto._

The sudden and overwhelming smell of blood shocked Sasuke's senses into overdrive, and the sight that greeted him nearly made him retch.

"_No..._" was the barely audible sound that came from his lips, repeating and getting louder as he made his way towards Itachi, dropping to his knees before the man and twining his fingers roughly through long, raven hair. He jerked his brother's head up to stare into slowly glazing onyx eyes and _screamed_ at him, fighting an inner war with his own hunger (the smell was so _strong_, so _sweet_). "You _bastard!_" he screamed at the faint smirk on bloodied lips, hands shaking at the feeling of blood on his hands. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, not at all, he reaped no satisfaction from this end.

"I won't let you do this," he hissed, tugging the man's head to the side to expose the gash along his neck. _You'll die by my hand, not your own!_ he thought bitterly, lowering his head. Running his tongue along the wound just once was all it took for instinct to take hold, fangs piercing already lacerated flesh as the grip in Itachi's hair grew tighter.

_I will not let you take this satisfaction from me!_

The world was fading, and Itachi let it fade, surprised at how quickly it was swept away. With each passing heartbeat, he felt his life being drawn from him, and a faint smirk crossed his lips, as he wondered if it was like this for his family too. He could barely hear Sasuke's angry screams, feel the hands in his hair and the slight stretching/tearing pain of his head being jerked to the side. The pain of fangs in his neck made his eyes widen slightly, as he realized what Sasuke was doing. Reaching for the forgotten kunai, he lifted his arm, amazed at the effort it took, before plunging it into Sasuke's shoulder. Blood splattered up from the wound, covering his face, and Itachi grimaced, before dropping the kunai and letting Sasuke's hunger and madness lead him into darkness.

At the edge of the clearing, Kisame watched the scene in mute surprise, somewhat shocked by what he saw. He unstrapped his sword, the bandages falling free of it as he charged. If he did nothing else, he would retrieve Itachi for Leader and claim the bounty certain to be on the Uchiha brat's head.

The pain in his shoulder had only caused Sasuke to bite down harder, but the sound of nearing, heavy footsteps jerked him back to reality. He tore himself from Itachi's neck, blood staining his lips in the firelight as he turned wide, almost animalistic eyes towards the oncoming figure. There was still blood flowing from his brother's neck, still breath left in his lungs. The job wasn't done yet, and he tried to drag the limp form with him, but the injury to his shoulder prevented it.

Cursing inwardly, he weighed his options. Stay and fight for the right to Itachi's death, with one currently useless arm and half his sanity, or escape and risk this shark like beast saving the man's life. Even if he did fight his brother's partner in crime, he would have no guarantee that Itachi's life would end. Spitefully, he thought of driving the fallen kunai through one of his brother's eyes, but the distance between the shark and himself was closing far too fast, and he finally made the decision to flee. Even if Itachi were to survive the blood loss, there would be another chance to kill him if he lived.

Kisame intended to give chase, and looked forward to seeing the young man dead at his feet, but a rattling noise stopped him as he passed Itachi, and he paused, glancing at his partner. The cold, black eyes were glazed and slowly fading out, and blood spurted fitfully from the gash in his neck, but somehow, he was still alive.

Cursing, Kisame made a seal, sending a water bunshin after Sasuke and crouching down next to the nearly dead shinobi. It was disconcerting and more than a little pitiful to see his partner, once so prideful and cold, reduced to a blind, bleeding wreck. Tempted as he was to end what suffering Itachi may be going through, he knew Leader would be displeased at losing yet another excellent ninja.

Certain it was a waste of chakra, he held his hand to Itachi's throat, a rough medical jutsu cauterizing and sealing the vein until the bleeding ebbed. Satisfied that Itachi wouldn't die on the way back to the hideout, he threw the broken ninja over his shoulder, throwing a halfhearted wave of water at the burning brush around him before taking to a few undamaged trees and disappearing into the forest.

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**satus: **_(Latin) _origin,start, beginning /planting, sowing.

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Well that's it. Technically this was a bit of a prologue and a setup for the rest of the story. Next chapter, we start to develop some plot! So? Like it? Love it? Hate it? I'd be willing to bet that reviews will not only make both of us happy, but perhaps even spur us to write a little faster! Til next time! 


	2. Vinculum

Aha! Sorry for the long time to update, guys! A lot's been going on in the lives of Prodigium's two writers, so it went rather slowly! Life tends to get in the way so very often, doesn't it? In any case, here we have chapter two, finally, for you guys! I hope you all enjoy it! The timeline kind of skips around a little bit, so the story doesn't quite flow as smoothly as I wanted it to, but I think it works rather well.

For further notes, the character depiction is as follows:

Written by me: Sasuke and Sasori. Written by my girlfriend: Itachi, Kisame, and Orochimaru.

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**prodigium**: _(Latin) _prodigy, portent / monster, unnatural thing.

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_I'm cold, so cold._

_It doesn't hurt, though. It did, but the pain is gone. The terrible thoughts have silenced. I no longer desire to kill. I no longer desire anything. I feel nothing._

_Nothing._

_Have I died? Is this what it is to die?_

_Is that you calling me, Mother? Or is it merely another demon of my mind?_

For the briefest of moments, there was nothing.

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As Sasuke stalked the halls towards his sire's chambers, the serpentine sannin's minions had the sense to flatten themselves to the walls and scurry away at the sight of him. The news that Kabuto had given him as his shoulder was being stitched up had infuriated him (to the point where he'd torn his arm away from the man before he could so much as get the needle in), and he'd caused enough destruction in the past that nobody wanted to get in his way when he was angry. 

The freshly cleaned wound was already starting to bleed again, staining the shirt he wore, though he could've honestly cared less at the moment. It had been bad enough that he was forced away from Itachi before he could make doubly sure the man was dead, and now _this_.

"_OROCHIMARU!_" he snarled, not even bothering to knock (or see if the room was locked) as the door gave way to his foot, swinging open and slamming against the wall (splintered, he'd be given hell for it later but he just didn't care right then). He leveled a Sharingan glare on his teacher and sire, rage practically radiating from every pore.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!"

Pale fingers, dark polish contrasting with the sickly grey-white skin, loosened a grip on a young civilian girl. The body slid from his lap, leaving little stains of spilled blood on the dark violet of the man's kimono and laying dead at his feet. The man's long tongue flicked out to clean the blood from his lips, and Orochimaru let a lazy, sedate smile stretch his mouth. Typically, his lovely pet never interrupted him during his meals... typically, the boy stayed in his room, training obsessively. Tucked away, too busy to be any real trouble to him, tied to the underground lair by the desire for power and the tainted blood they both carried. Lately, the pet had begun venturing out in the night, wandering about the forest and returning empty handed and filled with renewed frustration, that he tried (and failed) to hide from the snake master. This had been a non-issue, as Sasuke had never found what he was searching for...

But last night had been something new, something unpleasant that Orochimaru wished not to repeat. Waking in the night with the smell of burning things thick in his throat and nose, the stabbing pain in his shoulder and the memory of those demented and beautiful eyes, had sent Orochimaru storming through the subterranean castle, throwing open the door to Sasuke's bedroom and finding his pet missing. Sasuke had returned a few hours later and been patched up by Kabuto, who'd been unable to glean any information from him, and as morning came, news filtered in from the guards and Orochimaru had learned just what the boy had been up to after sunset.

"You have chosen to place yourself and the castle in harm's way, Sasuke, by venturing forth to pick fights. You've misused the things I've taught you, and the strength I gave you. I simply had no choice but to restrict you," Orochimaru replied coolly, almost casually. It was all he could do to hold back a chuckle at the rage he saw in Sasuke's eyes at his reply, and he chose instead to beckon forth a servant to take the corpse of his dinner away.

"Misused? _Misused?!_" the young vampire spat, barely containing the urge to simply lash out at the man. "_Nothing_ of mine is misused if it's used to kill Uchiha Itachi!" To say he was furious was such an understatement, and it showed in the way his nails drew blood in the palms of his hands, clenched so tightly they were shaking.

"If you didn't know before why I kept leaving at night, then you're far stupider than I thought," he began, the blood running down his arm mixing with that from his palm and dripping to the floor. "_I found him,_" he snapped, voice laced with frustration and anger, "I could have killed him, if that other bastard didn't manage to keep him alive! You flashing your stupid rules at me will _not_ keep me from going out to make sure the job is done!"

The slits of his eyes narrowed, and Orochimaru gazed over the boy, pleased and annoyed at the same time. He had wanted to find Itachi on his own, as he had before, but considering the events that evening long ago, it probably wasn't a good idea. This had been another reason he'd been so keen to capture and turn the survivor of the massacre. With the Sharingan in his grasp, he knew Itachi would finally be defeated. However, Sasuke's lust for revenge posed an interesting problem.

He searched their link, the shared blood that bound them and gave him power over Sasuke, and found it was blocked. How annoying. Sasuke had made a habit of blocking it out. Orochimaru rose from his seat, and before Sasuke could react, he'd crossed the room, slipping behind the boy and catching him in a crushing embrace. Yes... he was sure he smelled blood on Sasuke, but whether it was from the boy, or from their mutual target, he was uncertain.

Sasuke stiffened at the sudden contact, Sharingan glaring madly at the seat Orochimaru had just moments ago occupied. He could feel the way his sire probed at his mind, but he'd long since learned how to keep his thoughts to himself, and he could've laughed at the man for trying. Still, the way he was being held was making him increasingly uncomfortable, and he fought the urge to simply push the sannin away.

"If any of your lackeys try to stop me," he hissed, voice as cold as ice, "I will kill them and I will not return to this lair come dawn." If anything, he knew that by now, Orochimaru would be increasingly aware of how little hold that tie kept over him now.

Orochimaru chuckled, his tongue flicking out to taste the side of Sasuke's neck, only inches from the twin scars where he had first drank of the boy. "Such pretty, angry words, Sasuke. But I don't think you can leave so easily. Even if you were to leave, with the intent of never returning, do remember..." long tongue traced pale skin, and cold breath blew over the nape of the boy's neck. "I found you once, Sasuke, and I will always know where you are, and what you are doing. You are mine, after all."

He took advantage of the moment of surprise incited by his mouth, and his power flooded Sasuke's mind once more. _Mine, mine, forever._

_Get OUT!_ Sasuke was unable to withhold a shudder of revulsion at the feel of Orochimaru's inhuman tongue sliding over his skin. Even after three years he was never prepared for the way his sire seemed to want to simply devour him like meat. Crimson eyes narrowing even further, he struggled inwardly to replace the barriers he'd put up and to force the man's thoughts from his head once more.

Still, even after three years his ability to block him out completely just wasn't enough.

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"Haah.. haaah..."

The medicine wasn't working. Nor were the damp towels covering Itachi's forehead. He had lost so much blood, probably too much, and his skin was hot to the touch. Kisame guessed that he'd probably die of heart failure, if he didn't develop a huge infection first. But he didn't know enough about medicine to guess anything more than that. With a frustrated growl, he stood, walking to the door and stopping. Kakuzu would tell Leader, and Leader would be extremely displeased by it all. Itachi's status within the Akatsuki, though the young man didn't know it, was on shaky ground, and this would probably convince Leader to dispose of him.

It was on this matter that Kisame's opinions diverged sharply from the opinions of the rest of the organization. The other men had not watched as Itachi took down two or three teams in less than thirty minutes, killing each enemy ninja with cold, brutal ease. The Uchiha had found ways to compensate for his diminishing eyesight and common headaches, and though Kisame knew they were temporary fixes at best, he also knew that Itachi was searching for someone who may know how to repair the damage done by the Sharingan. If he ever did find a medic-nin with those capabilities, Kisame mused, God help anyone who stood in his way.

That was, of course, if Itachi survived this. Kisame had never expected Itachi to lose. Of course, the younger man would insist it was _not_ a loss because it wasn't actually Sasuke who delivered the killing blow, but Kisame figured that no matter how it happened, dying meant losing. He still couldn't understand why Itachi had chosen to slash his own throat rather than try to run anyway. But of course.. he looked at the pale, trembling body on the bed, frowning. Itachi had always seemed quietly interested in his own death. Maybe he'd finally decided he wanted to see what it was like to die.

Kisame was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the door slide open.

"So this is where you two have been," a slightly lazy voice sounded, an almost childlike face and a messy shock of red hair accompanying it into the room. A frown set upon Sasori's face as he noticed the condition of the Uchiha, and though his eyes lingered for the briefest moment over the man (still a boy in his eyes, still just a conceited boy), he soon turned them to Kisame.

An irritable edge was in his voice then, as he addressed the sharklike man. "Leader has sent me to inquire as to why you failed to report upon your return," he commented, seeming displeased with the menial task he'd been given. "Though now I find myself curious as to what could fell a brat like him these days when even Orochimaru could not when the boy was still a boy." He let his eyes wander once more to the obviously doomed Uchiha. Paler than usual, he noted, signifying a great amount of blood loss, the stained bandage around his throat supporting that theory. No, Sasori reasoned, there would be no salvaging him.

He was about to speak, but Kisame thought better of it, noting that he didn't trust Sasori all that much either. After all, Itachi's body would make an excellent puppet, as Sasori had mentioned long before. But what other explanation could there be for Itachi's current state? Wild animals stood no chance against them, bounty hunters and hunter-nin alike fell before them, and even bandits passed them by. No, none of those made sense, but the truth was just as unbelievable... though, if it were believed, it would sentence Itachi to death.

"We were attacked by a mysterious beast. It caught Itachi-san by surprise and tried to tear his throat out. I'm rather surprised he's survived this long." Kisame finally answered, choosing a nice half-truth over cruel honesty and suspicious lying. It would also not do to inform the others that his partner's revenge-hungry little brother had become a monster.

The puppetmaster's expression openly displayed his utter disbelief of the shark's statement, and he moved towards the injured Uchiha to determine the answers that Kisame unwisely witheld from him. As the Samehada came down in front of him to block his path, he let his fingers do the persuading, strings of chakra holding the large man's arm still while he simply walked around the obtrusive sword.

Kneeling beside Itachi, Sasori reached for the bandages around the boy's neck, fingers prodding gently (with as much care as he would treat one of his own puppets, as Kisame's inkling about his plans for the Uchiha's body in such an event were actually quite correct). The sudden hiss of pain and gritting of teeth wasn't entirely unexpected, though what curious amber eyes spotted beyond bloodstained lips certainly was not.

"Might that _beast_ have been Orochimaru's new _pet_, Hoshigaki?" he intoned, hand moving swiftly from the Uchiha's neck to his mouth in order to push back those pretty lips to reveal the pristine, newly formed assets of a vampire.

"He is already dead."

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Finally sensing that Orochimaru had passed into slumber, Sasuke quietly slipped from his sire's bed, picking up his clothes and redressing in complete silence. A shower wouldn't rid him of the disgusted feeling of filthy hands and lips all over him, no matter how scalding the water, but it would certainly rid him of the snake's smell, and so he slipped from the older vampire's chambers unnoticed.

It started as an uncomfortable feeling, an itch he couldn't scratch that felt somewhat like paranoia (though through his experience with Orochimaru, it was far from it). That feeling slowly grew, trickling the length of his spine in both directions until he consciously glanced over his shoulder at intervals, his mind in a flurry nearly strong enough to break the barriers he'd put up to keep his sire out; but this wasn't Orochimaru's presence he was feeling, not at all.

And then it was all suddenly crystal clear, the ressonance of a connection newly forged and the pull of the presence he wasn't sure of. The realization was swift, and shocking enough to nearly take the breath from his lungs and bring him to his knees in the middle of the deserted hall; this was _Itachi_.

_He'd inadvertently **sired** his own brother._

He wasn't sure how he knew, he simply did, though it wasn't the knowledge of that which kept him steady and nearly shaking at the same time.

He _knew_ that as he had Orochimaru, Itachi would _seek_ him.

The memory of what had happened when he'd reached the snake's lair, however, made the younger Uchiha suddenly feel very, very sick.

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The silence that had begun with Sasori's pronouncement had stretched for what seemed like forever, as Kisame tried to wrap his head around the news.

_Dead, but breathing and bleeding. How is that possible?_

When no explanation seemed readily forthcoming, he cleared his throat. "What did you say?"

Moving back into a sitting position, and then standing, Sasori focused his eyes on the shark man once more. "The Uchiha brat is already dead, Hoshigaki. He has become what Orochimaru is. Those teeth are the mark of a vampire."

He frowned slightly, scrutinizing Kisame before continuing. "You have a lot yet to learn about the strange things in this world. If you wish to keep him, you will need what information I have."

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As Itachi's eyes opened (dark and slit-pupiled) with the rise of the moon, Sasuke had already left behind the lair of the snake, dried blood flaking off of his skin from the fools he'd had to kill to escape. He left nothing of himself with Orochimaru, except for a single, brief note.

_I have no further use for you, sire or not. If you come searching for me, I will kill you myself._

_-Sasuke_

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**vinculum**: _(Latin) _bond, fetter, tie.

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So, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let us know what you think, we love reviews like we love kittens (and who doesn't love kittens?) 


	3. Requiro

I apologize up for the time it took to get this chapter to you, the readers. Currently, I don't have a steady internet connection, and instead have to rely on getting my hour in at the library each day, since the lovely girlfriend and I have moved. It'll be a little while before we do get steady internet back, but I've got an iPod, so it's all going to get to you guys anyway! Again, I apologize for the wait, but real life does tend to get in the way, doesn't it? Hopefully things will settle into a steady rhythm soon, so that we can pump these chapters out faster for you. I'd like to note, in particular, that the next chapter is already in planning, and will have a lot more actual action than this chapter did (sorry for all the skipping around!). 

One of our reviewers posed an interesting question regarding Sasuke inadvertently siring Itachi. I'll explain this fic's view on vampires. The way a vampire is made in this fic is by shared blood. The sire drinks the blood of the sired and the sired drinks the blood of the sire, then when the sired, as a human, dies, the change takes place and they become a vampire (this concept borrowed from Blood Ties book 1, The Turning, by Jennifer Armintrout, though it may be more widely spread, this is just where we got it). Sasuke's intention was to kill Itachi, not to turn him, but when Itachi stabbed Sasuke in the shoulder, some of Sasuke's blood splattered onto Itachi's face (and into his mouth), and when Itachi's heart stopped, the change took place, and he became a vampire. Thank you BlueSharingan101 for bringing it to my attention that it was somewhat vague!

And an added thanks to all the reviewers and watchers and favorite...ers so far (you know who you are! I'd list you all but I've been slacking and quite a few have accumulated)! I realize I don't thank you guys enough, so I figured I'd do that here. THANKS! Here's hoping that Prodigium gets even more hits and reviews than Breaking Me Down, which currently seems to be my most popular story!

Eruda: Goodness, it's been a long time since I posted ANYTHING on though I've been posting occasionally elsewhere. I hear that a lot of you really like how I portray Itachi, and for all your comments and praise, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! He's a tough bugger to write for sometimes, and it disturbs me a little how easy it is for me. I'm glad you think I'm doing so well, though. I hope to continue doing a good job. Thank you for reading!

Character depiction is as follows:  
Sasuke and Sasori were written by me, while Itachi, Orochimaru and Kabuto were written by my lovely lovely sweetheart (She said hi this time! Yaaaay!).

Again, sorry for the wait (and the huge author's note!), and I hope you enjoy the chapter and continue reading in the future!

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**prodigium** : _(Latin)_ prodigy, portent / monster, unnatural thing.

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Itachi remembered almost nothing of that night just days before, only fire and blood and the sweet nothingness he recalled falling into. He remembered waking, with Kisame sitting at his bedside, green/blue eyes watching him and the smell of fear wafting off his partner. He didn't remember attacking the other man, but did remember coming to an hour or two later, bound to the bed and guarded this time by Sasori. 

The unpleasant explaination of his condition that Sasori offered had turned Itachi's stomach, and left him feeling rather cold and sick. He'd stared mutely at the ceiling, before the hunger became more pressing than the disgust he felt. Sasori had brought a bottle of blood to him and instructed him to drink, though Itachi had resisted until it was forced down his throat.

But as night fell once again, Itachi tied his hair back and pulled his cloak on, noting how everything seemed to work exactly as before. Somehow, he had thought that death would have dulled his coordination and his thinking, but his mind was clear, and he strapped the kunai pouch on and snapped the cloak up with ease. It was as though he had merely suffered a mild sickness and fever, really. He walked down the hall in silence, listening to the sounds of his associates. He wondered fleetingly what someone such as Hidan or Kakuzu would say about this, but knew better than to mention it to them. No, it would be best to go about as if nothing had changed, as if nothing had happened...

as if this were merely a recon mission and not a lesson in how to kill and feed.

"Going somewhere, Uchiha?" a voice, low and all too familiar sounded from Itachi's left as Sasori, having been put to watch near the entrance, stepped out of the shadows.

"You still don't understand exactly what you are or what you're doing, do you? Prodigy or no, this is not something you have the chance of playing trial and error with, if you fail, you _die_." Perhaps, he thought, he may have been showing a bit too much interest, but he felt it would be a shame to put such an elegant and untamed thing to dust and waste. "Besides, I've been given the task of being your _escort_, as much as it irritates me." A slow and easy smirk curved false lips as apathetic eyes almost glinted. "I have permission to use _force_ should you refuse."

Itachi glanced over at the older man, expression unchanging as he mulled over the warning. "Might I assume that Leader has been informed of the situation? I was under the impression that he was not to know yet." He replied quietly, closing his eyes. "I also see little difference between a regular assassination and... this. Though, I suppose you would know more of such things, considering your history."

"Trust me," Sasori responded, already moving toward the outside and the chilly night air he couldn't feel, "I know far more than you do, and you will need what I can teach if you expect to live long at all outside of these walls."

"As for him, you know how he is. He knows everything that goes on in this place."

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"We have received word from the second search party. They found the first party."

Orochimaru was stalking through the catacombs of his palace, his hands clenched into twitching fists. Upon hearing Kabuto's voice behind him, he stopped and turned, frowning. When the white-haired ninja failed to elaborate, his mouth twisted into a grimace, showing his multiple fangs. "_Well_?"

"Matsu of the first party was apparently left alive, if barely. He was maimed. His eyes have been torn out. They are bringing him back for interrogation." Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose. The sight of his master and teacher's vicious maw had once terrified him, but now only served to warn him of how angry the old vampire was. It didn't really matter. He didn't believe that Sasuke could stand to be far from the palace for long. Eventually, the boy would come crawling back to his master, the link between them too strong to resist. It suited Kabuto just fine. He had found Sasuke to be an excellent test subject, and anxiously awaited his return.

The news of the first party's destruction was expected, but not the brutality of it. But then, Sasuke had learned from the best. Orochimaru would have been proud if he wasn't so angry. "Forget the first party. Just find him. I want him back immediately!"

A smirk tugged at Kabuto's lips, and he crossed his arms. "He will be vulnerable at dawn. We know roughly what direction he was going, so we'll definitely find him when he stops to rest for the day."

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Unfortunately for the pursuing parties, the young Uchiha, being both shinobi and vampire, had learned plenty of ways to both cover his tracks and to stay hidden. It also so happened that he'd overheard Kabuto and his sire speaking of experimental cloaks that would allow the elder vampire to move about during daylight hours. It was his luck and intuition that landed the second or third prototype on his back as he fled.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to let him go without a fight, but so far the only search party he'd come across was nothing special at all. He hoped that by now, whoever was sent out next had found the _messenger_ he'd left alive for them.

_Tell him that in searching for me, he will be as blind as you are now. The rest of your platoon is testament to what I will do to anyone who comes across me that bears even the slightest hint of his smell. Where he finds me, he will find what he fears most._

He knew it wouldn't deter the man much, if at all, but even the slightest blow he could deal the twisted bastard was satisfying in and of itself.

Stopping for a moment to gauge his surroundings, he pushed outward with his mind as much as he could, searching for the faintest glimmer of his brother. He knew that the longer he left the man to his own devices, the more control he would find over both the tie and his newfound power. Sasuke cursed himself for being so stupid and not being doubly sure the job was done. He'd managed to best Itachi mostly by luck and the curse Orochimaru gave him, but now that his brother had the same curse...

Faintly, he felt the approaching dawn, pulling the garment tighter around his face and head. There was still a thick covering of trees, and there was at least another hour of darkness left, but he didn't want to be caught off guard by the sunrise. There was still a chance that the treated fabric still would not ward off the sun, but it was test it or be overtaken by one of his sire's parties coming at dawn. It had been three long years since he'd seen daylight, for fear of going to ash, but this time, he was determined not to cower from it.

Judging from the lingering thrill at the edges of his mind in one direction, and the far stronger anger from where he'd left, he still had a long distance to cover before he'd find Itachi.

------------------------

"It's almost sunrise," Sasori commented, pushing away from the rock he'd been leaning against. He knew that despite the barren terrain of the area he'd brought Itachi to, the boy would have no problem finding his own shelter for the night. He had to wonder at the pace the Uchiha had learned what he had to teach, though. Despite knowing full well Itachi was the supposedly undefeated prodigy of the late Uchiha clan, he'd never actually seen first hand just how quickly he picked things up.

"I'm sure you know by now precisely what happens to a vampire who is exposed to direct sunlight, but to further drive the point home, I'm going to give you a little _demonstration_ come dawn." He let the corners of his mouth turn up just slightly.

"Find yourself shelter for the day, and I will retreive your lesson for you while you review what you've learned tonight." With that said, he turned back toward their headquarters, not giving the Uchiha so much as another glance before leaving him to fend for himself.

Itachi still felt sick after his "meal", and had scarcely heard what Sasori said before the man left. His actions and thoughts up until the moment of attack had been flawless, identical to the way he usually killed except for the lack of a weapon. But as soon as he had touched his target, a lost genin from Kumo, everything changed.

Even now, he found himself trying not to remember it, despite the Sharingan burning it into his memory. Again, he could hear the man's terrified scream when he saw the pale fangs, feel the throb of a pulse under his fingers, the tearing of flesh under sharp teeth and the sudden wash of blood, sweet and warm and metallic, through his mouth and down his throat.

With a shudder, Itachi pulled the cloak tigher around his shoulders and glanced around, hoping the immediate need to find adequate shelter would distract him from these disturbing memories.

Unfortuately, most unfortunately, something else distracted him first, from both tasks. Itachi felt a strange tugging in the back of his mind, which only became stronger the longer he stayed in this rocky waste. Something was calling him, and something wanted to respond. As the sky lightened over him, he realized what it was, the distant memory only worsening his confusion.

_...Sasuke?_

This was definitely unfortunate. Sasori was gone, presumably until the next night, and the sensation was growing stronger, presumably meaning that Sasuke was coming closer. The sun was nearing the horizon, and Itachi didn't really want to learn what would happen if he were touched by its light now. With a frown, he began running - away from headquarters, away from Sasuke - until he spotted a cave, almost completely blocked off by rocks. The opening was just large enough, and he slipped inside, backing down the tunnel until he was confident in his concealment, if not his safety. Being trapped in a cave, no matter how well hidden or how deep, was frustrating, and he resisted the urge to pace, sitting instead to consider his current options.

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Pausing just before the trees started to thin out, Sasuke heard it. Faintly, very faintly in the back of his mind, he heard that questioning voice.

_...Sasuke?_

It wasn't Orochimaru. He knew the voice anywhere, no matter how faint, but the tone of it caught him off guard. Itachi sounded unsure, and he thought he could detect the slightest bit of unease across the tie. The sun was close to rising, but there was no turning back now, not when he was so close.

The thought occured to him as he took off again, leaving the shelter of the dense forest as it faded into bare and rocky expanse, that he'd never actually had a plan for what would come next. He realized the closer the sun came to the horizon that despite being the sire, there was something that drew ihim/I to iItachi/i, and he wasn't sure what that could mean.

Sasuke frowned beneath the thick cover of the cloak, once again pulling it tighter and tucking his hands inside. He would kill him. That was what he would do when he found him. While he was still getting used to a vampire's skill, he would kill him, because once Itachi was able to fully control the vampire curse, he would be left in the dust once again.

Clenching his fists tightly, he cursed out loud. He knew it wasn't going to be as easy as it was the last time, and he knew that even part of that was a fluke, but he also knew he would have to do everything he could to erase the mistake he'd made in tasting his brother's blood. To this moment he wasn't sure why he'd chosen to act as he did; surely it was the hunger (driven by all that blood) that pushed him to sink his fangs in rather than plunge the discarded kunai into Itachi's chest and be done with it.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a chill of fear swept down his spine. It drew him out of his thoughts and pulled his attention to the land before him just as the sun breached the sky to his side and daylight began to spill over the wasteland. The brightness of it burned at his eyes, and a primal fear screamed at him to find shelter, but he stood frozen in place, wondering for a brief moment why he'd taken sunrises for granted in the past. That brief moment was over, however, as the sun's rays washed over him, and he had to duck his head and clench his teeth at the searing pain that he felt even through the cloak he wore.

He'd have time to marvel at the fact that he wasn't a pile of ash later, after he found where Itachi (restless, like a caged animal, he could feel it) hid himself in this rocky expanse.

Close.

He was so _close_, and every last step he took in the grueling sun was for the same reason he took every step he took throughout his entire life since that night. He pressed on for the sole purpose of finding and killing Itachi; the only difference now was the method in which he would do so.

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**requiro** : _(Latin) _to seek, hunt for.

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Well, now that that's over with, I've noticed all the watches and favorites over these past weeks, and I'm so very thankful! Did we live up to your expectations? Did we fall short? Let us know with a review, we love to get them! 


	4. Invenio

Alright folks, here we are again. This chapter came out a lot quicker than the last one, I know, but don't get used to it, it's always a gamble as to how long these take.

Afraid there's not much for me to say up front here, other than thanks for all the reviews and watches (more watches than reviews, but oh well)!

As usual, Sasuke and Sasori in this chapter were written by me, while all others (Itachi...Itachi...and Itachi) were written by my sweet lovely.

Enjoy!

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**prodigium** : _(Latin)_ prodigy, portent / monster, unnatural thing.

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The sun was reaching the peak of its journey across the sky as Sasori returned, Hiruko in tow, to the area in which he had left Itachi. There wasn't a sound coming from the puppet he normally wore as a shield, but he knew that what resided inside of it was simply cowering with the knowledge of what was to become of it. 

He was unsurprised to find that the Uchiha was nowhere in sight, considering the man would have been a fool not to hide himself well, but he was surprised, however, to see a cloaked figure approaching from the opposite direction.

He stood, watching and waiting, until he managed to catch a glimpse of red eyes beneath the figure's hood. Despite the fact that believing his eyes would mean that there was a vampire standing directly before him in direct sunlight, he knew better than to underestimate his previous partner. He knew quite well how ingenuitive the snake could be, and he could only assume that the cloak the brat wore was a product of that ingenuity.

"Isn't it supposed to be the spawn that seeks its master, rather than the other way around?" he questioned, letting the corners of his lips turn upward as he silently withdrew a scroll from the folds of his cloak.

Sasuke stopped finally as Sasori's word's reached him, snapping him out of the dangerous daze he'd been in from the nearly unbearable heat and his focus on finding Itachi.

Leveling his gaze on the other shinobi, he sneered, inadvertently bearing his fangs. He recognized the man from the stories Orochimaru had told while intoxicated, the shaggy shock of red hair, apathetic eyes and face that looked no older than his fitting the description of his sire's old partner perfectly. The young Uchiha wasn't fool enough to ignore the sannin's tales of the organization that his brother was part of, and he'd heard quite a bit about the formidable skills that came along with the title "Akasuna no Sasori".

He hadn't expected to find Itachi without finding at least one of his associates, though he'd hoped it would have been a night encounter where he would have the advantage. As it stood, there was already the danger of sun exposure to worry about, along with his current level of fatigue.

Not bothering to answer the puppet master's question, he reached out with his mind, recalculating Itachi's position and moving suddenly in that direction. If he could avoid the fight at any cost, he would.

_So, that's where he is..._ Sasori mused, letting the scroll he'd withdrawn fall open. "Unfortunately for you, I can't let you reach him," he murmured.

Sasori's words were nearly lost to the Uchiha's ears, but the pop of a summoning was not. He pivoted suddenly, pushing off from the ground just as a poison laced blade swept through the air where he'd just been running, and another flew over his head as he ducked, almost grazing the hood of the cloak. There was no time to focus on Itachi as Sasori's attacks kept coming, and while the poison was no threat to his life, the paralysis it would cause would be.

As he dodged a volley of kunai, he formed a series of hand seals beneath the cloak, letting loose a return volley of fireballs and gaining a sense of satisfaction from the look on Sasori's face as one of his puppets went up in flames.

Though he had countless more in reserve, even the loss of one puppet was enough to flare up a spark of irritation in Sasori's eyes. "You'll take that one's place, Uchiha!" he threatened, eyes narrowed.

Sasuke snorted in disgust at the idea, releasing a cluster of smoke bombs and preparing another fire jutsu even as he cursed the sun and how badly it limited his repertoire.

"I'd drive a stake through my own heart before I let something like that happen!" he responded, using his Sharingan to discern Sasori's chakra strings through the smoke and letting the fire fly again.

In the cool darkness of the cave, Itachi awoke with a start, instantly annoyed that he'd passed out from exhaustion. He glanced at the faint line of sunlight near the opening, guessing that it was somewhere around noon. Yet, he heard the sounds of a fight outside, and as he pushed himself to a crouch, he recognized the now-familiar tug/presence of his younger brother, only a scant fourty yards away and closing. Moving silently to the mouth of the cave and keeping himself well in shadow, he untied his hitai-ate and rubbed the cave grime from it, dangling it closer to the opening. The thought of trying to hide from something as simple as sunlight was annoying and ridiculous, but he had a rather good idea what Sasori had meant that morning.

The metal band turned and waved, giving him a partial view of the fight outside. He saw a large wooden figure, moving clumsily, then ports on its face opened and threw blades. He couldn't see what the target was, but knew it was likely Sasuke. So, Sasori had returned after all. He moved the hitai-ate, spotting the large black shape of Hiruko. Excellent. He guessed that Sasori had returned to take him back to headquarters, for which he was grateful; he rather resented being forced to sit in a dank, tiny cave all day.

Sasuke cursed as a kunai grazed the bottom of his cloak, just inches from tearing a chunk off big enough to expose his feet to the sun. It was already dangerous enough the way he was moving around, and he had no interest in bursting into flames when he was this close to his goal.

He caught the glint of light off of Itachi's hitai-ate before he even sensed his brother was awake (though he blamed his lack of focus on the fact that he was warding off an insane puppet master bent on making him a part of his "collection"), throwing his own kunai back at the oncoming needles to deflect them. He was running out of options, and he knew it, even as the distance to his brother was closing fast. All he could do was pick up speed, dodging Sasori's attacks as best he could.

_Just a little farther..._ He could _feel_ how close Itachi was, the sense of it starting to steal his focus more and more. It was just a matter of a yard or two...

A gust of air, the feel of shifting fabric, and a sudden, _excruciating_ pain in his right side had him stumbling and falling forward (toward a dark place, toward refuge, toward something familiar, a distant scream reaching his ears that he had the inkling must have been his). Instinct and pain left him in a near fetal position, and he rolled as he hit the rocks he'd been aiming for, falling through the cave opening.

Itachi had roughly two seconds to react to Sasuke suddenly, and quite literally, falling on top of him. The skin on his arm was smoldering and smoking, and the stench of it made him recoil in disgust, but there was nowhere to go to get away from it, as the younger Uchiha landed on him and sent them both rolling farther back into the cave. Before they'd even stopped moving, Itachi had shoved himself away from Sasuke, flattening himself against the wall and trying to get around and away, even as something within him struggled to go to the wounded vampire.

He got within three feet of the cave mouth before remembering the sun, and realizing he was now trapped with his brother, who was probably still bent on killing him, and was responsible for his current aversion to the sun. He also did not know Sasori's current position, or how far he had to run to reach Hiruko, or if sunlight even penetrated cloth, though judging from the massive burns on Sasuke's arm, it probably did. This was quite possibly the worst situation to be in, short of an Anbu unit ambushing the three criminals while in this mess.

Sasuke's entire body was shaking, from the slowly dulling pain and presumably the shock that came with it, and he cradled his arm to his chest in much the same way an animal would (though weren't even humans animals?). His vision was blurry at best, but he lifted his head once the endorphines started kicking in to try and discern where he was. He'd felt something (someone) break his fall, but push him away soon after, and he fought to focus his vision on the dark figure standing at the opposite end of the cave.

It only took a moment, however, before he realized just who that figure was, and he levelled his gaze (bright with the Sharingan but still glassed over with pain) on Itachi's face.

There was something itching at the back of his mind, and a long-forgotten memory resurfaced, both welcome and unwelcome at the same time.

_"When a vampire is injured, Sasuke," Orochimaru hissed, too close to his ear as he pressed the blade deeper into his pet's shoulder before tearing it out, "blood will speed the regeneration process."_

It was a cruel lesson, Sasuke remembered, but the memory of how avidly he'd torn into the flesh offered by his sire was something he would rather have not surfaced.

As his brother's eyes met his, instinct acted without him, tightening the invisble rope that bound them and pulling as hard as he could. His throat was suddenly too dry, and the hunger raged in his stomach and in his mind.

_Give it to me... Your blood belongs to me, **give it to me**!_

Itachi wanted to run, wanted to scold Sasuke for his foolish demands, wanted to abandon the boy to his wounds, but found himself unable to do anything. He struggled against the pull of the tie, even as he felt the sharp rocks of the cave floor digging into his knees. His arm rose, resting against Sasuke's lips, yet even as his skin was torn and pierced by his younger brother's sharp fangs, he couldn't get away. He closed his eyes, trying to break the spell, but Sasuke's hold was too great. Knowing that Sasuke could read his thoughts, he tried to clear his mind, to focus on a faint drip of water and the distant clacking of wooden joints as Sasori approached the cave, but one thought kept surfacing: _Is this what it feels like to be helpless?_

Sasuke felt nothing, nothing but the sensation of blood in his mouth and down his throat. It had been days since he'd fed, having passed up the opportunity to feast on the search party that Orochimaru had sent after him, and his last meal had been from these very veins. He realized abruptly, even as he was unable to release his hold on Itachi, that no blood he'd ever tasted was as intoxicating as this; he'd been unconsciously holding off for the chance to get at it again.

Even as he finally managed to break away from his brother's arm, his body acted on its own accord, tongue catching what still leaked from the holes his fangs had made. Drowning in the heady scent of shared blood and the power he had over it, he took hold of the front of Itachi's cloak, tugging the other vampire closer until he could feel cool breath against his bloodstained lips.

When the elder's eyes snapped open, his breath caught in his throat (suddenly feeling dry again) at how vivid they were this close.

The sudden sound of Itachi's name being called out snapped him out of his trance, and he froze abruptly, unable to move away or break his hold on his brother even as he heard movement outside.

"Itachi," he heard the irritation in Sasori's voice. "Is that brat still alive?" He heard a swish of fabric, followed shortly by the faint tap of sandals on stone, and his grip on Itachi's cloak tightened.

"I can take care of that for you," the puppet master offered, even as his fingers moved, Hiruko's tail snaking through the cave entrance and piercing Sasuke's left shoulder hard enough to shove him back against the dank rock.

The spell was broken, or perhaps it only changed; Itachi could move, and he dropped his arm limply to his side, but something else pinned him in place, as certainly as Hiruko's tail pinned Sasuke, and he stared blankly at the younger Uchiha, watching the blood well up from the deep wound in his sire's shoulder. Before, when hunting, he had been cold and calculating, unmoved by the sight or smell of blood until that moment of capture when he'd sink his fangs into trembling flesh, but now... Sasori's voice faded and echoed, the drip of water vanished, and all he heard was Sasuke's pained groans, the smell of blood overpowering his senses.

It was just like before, he would reflect later. Just as when he'd first awoken from his fever and attacked Kisame. He remembered nothing of moving, of pulling the blades from Sasuke's shoulder and burying his face in mangled skin and muscle, the power in Sasuke's blood filling him with a demented euphoria. He didn't even notice for several seconds after Sasori had pulled him away, a kunai glinting wickedly as he raised it before Sasuke, and despite the blood-haze clouding his mind, Itachi spoke. "Don't kill him. Not yet."

Sasori paused at the sound of Itachi's voice, amber eyes narrowing marginally at how bold the man was being after he'd just set upon his own brother's wound like... He wasn't sure he wanted to liken it to anything, really, but he'd seen blood lust, and what he'd seen just then was more than simple blood lust. The elder Uchiha probably hadn't noticed the way the younger's eyelids fluttered and his head tilted back, might not have heard the way a pained groan became something closer to one of pleasure, but Sasori had.

He was sure Itachi had seen the look on Sasuke's face before he'd shown up, as close as the two were to each other, but he wondered if the man had actually realized what that look was, or if the younger even realized he'd been giving it.

"Why not, Uchiha?" he responded flatly, quite sure that neither of them realized just what the blood between them was doing. "I would be doing you a favor."

"Not yet. I have other plans for him." Itachi replied, pushing himself away. He felt dazed, and couldn't stop himself from swaying. Sasori was annoyed, but when wasn't he? He didn't really know or care what he was annoyed about. He turned away from Sasuke, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. "He can be useful to us. We should take him prisoner. I have some questions for him, and I intend to study him to learn more about my current state." He explained, once it was clear to him that Sasuke was in no state to understand him, or protest if he did.

"If it's a vampire you need to study, I have numerous test subjects left to me by Orochimaru that you can observe and interrogate to your own ends," Sasori replied, noting the way the man before him had swayed and how his eyes were still somewhat clouded. "If you have questions for him, then interrogate him when he comes out of the poison, it should circulate out in a matter of hours for a vampire. If that is all, I will return later tonight to dispose of him for you."

"He is my prisoner. I am taking him back with me. He is a perfect test subject for me." Itachi repeated, his vision clearing as he looked at Sasori. "Do not question my plans, Sasori. He is my younger brother, and I shall do with him as I see fit. Unless your test subjects happen to have the Sharingan, in addition to this curse."

With a frown, he sat against the wall, closing his eyes. "Go. Bring more poison when you return. I will need to sedate him."

Irritated, Sasori frowned, but knew better than to cross the boy too much. Itachi's mind was still clouded, even if he didn't notice it, he was sure, and his excuses were shaky at best. He turned, silently, and climbed out of the cave, turning only once he was safely out of reach for the vampire.

"Surely someone such as yourself can control a wounded _boy_, Uchiha, even without wasting my poisons. If he is your prisoner, then deal with him yourself."

With an angry flick of his wrist, he had Hiruko eject the vampire sitting fearfully inside, taking its place in his usual shell and letting the creature's screams as it burned be a testament to his irritation as he left toward headquarters once again.

_They wouldn't understand. None of them seem to. I may have to move on, especially in light of current circumstances._ Itachi seated himself against the wall, resting one arm on his leg and watching Sasuke twitch and mumble incoherently. Already, so many times, things had gotten in his way, and he was sick of it. But it didn't matter. Sasori's pissy mood really didn't matter either way, in the long run, though he would probably try to use his influence with Leader to cause trouble.

He looked at Sasuke again, frowning. Once again, the boy couldn't just follow the path laid out for him. No, he had to stray to other things, do what he was not supposed to, unconsciously unraveling all of Itachi's plans. It wasn't as though they were terribly static, though, and really, this curse would only make things more interesting, despite Itachi's certainty that he would never become used to consuming blood.

Itachi was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice when he fell asleep.

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**invenio** : _(Latin)_ to come upon, find, discover

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Alright! We managed to get this chapter out rather quickly, yes, but the next chapter may take a little more time. I'll see what I can do about a preview, however! So, like it, love it, hate it? Anything you see wrong with it? Let us know, because nothing makes our day like reviews in the inbox! 


	5. Voco in Dubium

Okay! Sorry it took so long, again, but I did warn you guys, right? 

In this chapter... well, you'll see!

As usual, Sasuke was written by me, while Itachi was written by the lovely girlfriend of mine.

Eruda: through the perils of sickness, rent-paying, and work work work, we bring you this. Please enjoy it, and comment on it for us!

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**prodigium** : _(Latin)_ prodigy, portent / monster, unnatural thing.

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Sasuke woke to the itching sense of impending nightfall, feeling as though his limbs were made of lead. He felt lightheaded, dizzy and disoriented, most assuredly due to the remnants of the puppet master's poison in his veins. He could tell that the burns he'd sustained would take longer to heal than the wound dealt to his shoulder , though he assumed that it would take no more than three days for there to be no trace of either, seeing as the wound Itachi had given him in that same shoulder had already healed by the time he'd reached the man. 

_Itachi..._

His eyes snapped open, suddenly enough that the world spun due to still slightly blurry vision. Even before the haze cleared and the slits of his pupils dilated to bring the cave back into focus, he could sense his brother's presence. Obsidian eyes glanced first to the mouth of the cave, narrowing at the level of the sun. He cursed inwardly at the duration that Sasori's poison had an effect over him. He'd heard about it and its ability to incapacitate even a vampire, but he hadn't known that it would keep him out like a light until nearly sundown. It'd been no later than noon when he'd reached this cave and... His eyes settled finally on the form of Itachi.

He had not dreamed, and for this, Itachi was grateful. He supposed that blood, for him, carried many of the same properties as alcohol. His senses weren't so dulled by it that he didn't notice unconsciously when Sasuke woke up, though, and though he kept his eyes closed and his breathing slow and regular, he assessed the situation anyway. _He's conscious, but likely still sedated. It's probably been at least a few hours, perhaps longer. I feel like I've slept a long time._ The distant throb in his head, and the ghost-like pain in his shoulder and over his arm, signalled that Sasuke was still injured, and therefore not a terrible threat. Sasori would probably return in a couple of hours, which left Itachi a little time to figure out what to do with his accidental sire. The two big choices were to kill him, or interrogate and then kill him, but somehow he found himself mulling a third choice, though he didn't know what it was yet.

Sasuke studied Itachi's face, frowning just slightly. There were still traces of blood smears near the man's mouth, but it was only vaguely that he remembered why they would be there. He pushed himself to his feet in silence, using the cave wall as a support as he regained his balance, discarding the scratchy, ruined cloak that had gotten him here in favor of the cooler, more comfortable shirt he wore underneath it. Mildly irritated at his brother's feigned sleep, he moved closer, feeling a sudden, vampiric streak of mischief that urged him to see how much of the remnants of blood he could lick off of Itachi's cheek before the other vampire gave up the act.

His breath ghosted faintly against flawless, porcelain skin before he reached out suddenly with his mind instead.

_I know you're awake, what do you take me for, an academy fresh genin?_

Even if it was the tie between them that told him, rather than his skill as a shinobi.

"You are not quite as sedated as I had hoped. No matter." Itachi's hand shot up and grabbed Sasuke's neck, and his eyes slowly opened, glancing over at the other vampire. "You are a glutton, otouto. Did you not get your fill earlier today?"

The younger almost let out a growl, but something clicked over in his mind, and he found himself giving off a completely opposite impression. Despite the hand on his throat (breathing was probably more habit than necessity when one was undead, after all), he let one corner of his lips twitch upward slightly.

"I'm injured, _Aniki_, I need twice as much as usual..." He leaned forward, pressing his throat into Itachi's hand even further to challenge the scarlet eyes that bored into him and the fingers that undoubtedly felt the throbbing pulse of his vampire heart beneath their grip. The instinct inside of his mind still hadn't subsided entirely, and he felt the crust of dried blood over the wound on his shoulder split with his movements, slowly weeping crimson down his arm again.

Itachi removed his hand in favor of placing it against Sasuke's uninjured shoulder and shoving him away as hard as he could. Shoving himself to a crouch, he glanced at the mouth of the cave, narrowing his eyes at the thin crack of light he still saw. "The sun will set soon, and you can go and find your own prey. I have no intent on becoming your meal again." he stated, pulling a few kunai from a hidden pocket in his cloak.

Sasuke landed in a crouch, eyeing the kunai with moderate irritation. "Why would I want your blood anyway?" he scoffed, narrowing his eyes toward the elder Uchiha. He knew, however, that he was in no state to hunt, the blood he'd taken already practically gone to heal his wounds. His body was weak, but his mind was strong, and if he had to, he knew he could probably manage to keep Itachi there by force through the tie.

"You certainly seemed as though you wanted it not ten seconds ago. Stay away from me." There was a weird humming in Itachi's ears, like cicadas or bees, but he knew it was coming from Sasuke. He tried to block it out, push it away, but it persisted. The light was turning deep orange, and he estimated about half an hour before the sun set and twilight set in. Would he be safe then? He would have to get Sasuke out of the cave to find out.

"Why? Are you afraid of me now or something?" Sasuke responded, raising an eyebrow just slightly. He had the feeling that Itachi didn't realize that if he wanted his blood, he just had to pull the right strings to get the man to simply offer it to him. He felt the resistance the other vampire was giving, caught the glimpses he kept taking of the cave entrance.

_What, will you run like a coward once the sun is down?_

Instinct lessened its hold on him, and Itachi remembered the events of the day, and his hastily-formed plans for Sasuke. In a moment, he was in front of Sasuke again, kunai between his fingers and at the other vampire's throat. "I have some questions for you."

The slightest of frowns rested on Sasuke's lips, brow creasing as irritation and something else flashed across his features, stubborn defiance as bright in his eyes as the Sharingan. Despite his hold over the man, he knew Itachi had the upper hand in this situation, power wise. He wasn't about to give him the upper hand information wise, though. "Go ahead and ask, then, it doesn't mean it will get you anywhere," he snapped, tilting his head back slightly to bare his throat in a show of confidence that his brother would not break him this time.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Perhaps he should've paid more attention to Sasori, though everything the puppet had said seemed like common sense to him. "How, and why, did you do this?"

Sasuke seemed to find the Itachi's question to be one of the most idiotic he'd ever heard come out of the man's mouth. For a moment, all he could manage was a slightly raised eyebrow, before he cleared his expression and responded. It wasn't information that would do his brother any good, anyway, because it was completely irrelevant.

"I took your blood, you took mine," he started, in a tone that told Itachi how utterly commonplace the knowledge was. "As for _why_," he paused, narrowing his eyes as his voice took on a tone of anger. "You did it to yourself. If you hadn't taken my blood you would be happily _dead_. All I wanted was the satisfaction of being the one to drain your life away, but you had to do something _stupid!_" He almost, _almost_ pressed forward, against the kunai that threatened him, but his own words slowly began to sink in.

"You died," he murmured, a hint of disbelief in his voice and in his eyes as they remained locked with his brother's. "If you hadn't died, you wouldn't be as you are now, _I killed you_..."

"So you did. A fine job you did of it, too." Itachi replied, the most distant hint of sarcasm lacing his voice. "But remember, you were the one to bite me. It is because you did that, that I became _this_. Is Yakushi Kabuto still alive?"

"Why should it matter to you?" Sasuke answered, voice and expression angry again at the sarcasm in Itachi's voice. "Why, after all these years and all of this _shit_ you put me through, did you try to kill _yourself_?!" he snapped, reaching up for the hand that held the blade to his throat.

"I saw no reason to give you the pleasure of killing me, not when you acquired your strength through questionable means." Itachi batted the hand away, slicing the palm open accidentally and purposefully ignoring it. "I will ask you again: is Yakushi alive?"

Sasuke hissed at the slight pain (compared to the rest of his injuries it was _nothing_), baring his fangs and narrowing his eyes. "There you go again, you bastard!" he almost growled. "I didn't ask for this curse any more than you did, do you think I _enjoy_ it?!" Again, he ignored Itachi's question, despite the fact that he knew exactly how long and how extensively one could torture a creature that could heal just about any injury you could throw at it.

"Probably more than I enjoy it, given you used it to try and kill me. How utterly pathetic. Did Orochimaru or his minions ever give you drugs to control it?" Itachi returned the tip of the kunai to Sasuke's throat, but remained completely impassive.

"You're assuming that I enjoy it at all," Sasuke scoffed, feeling the sting of the kunai's point and this time leaning forward enough that it barely pierced skin, a thin trickle of blood running down his neck. "There is no _controlling_ it, I'll tell you that now."

This seemed to be half-true, at least. Itachi had to fight to keep his eyes on Sasuke's face, and not let them wander to his neck, to the ribbon of blood that pooled in his clavicle and wandered down his chest. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you never had much self-control in the first place. Orochimaru is still alive, is he not?"

Sensing the slightest lapse in concentration on Itachi's part, alongside the faint flicker of bloodlust, Sasuke pressed a bit further forward, shifting just enough that instead of going deeper, the blade began to slice a shallow line across his throat. Certainly, in the face of blood or hunger, there was no controlling it. "And seething, I'm sure," he answered, irritation lacing his voice. "He wasn't happy with my leaving, but if he's got an ounce of sense he won't be following me anymore."

Itachi grabbed the top of Sasuke's head, tangling his fingers in black hair and holding him still. The blood welled faster now, rivulets disappearing under Sasuke's top. "Then I can assume that his servant Kabuto is still alive as well?"

The younger winced at the pull on his hair, forcibly ignoring the pleasant chill that ran down his spine. Stubbornly, he said nothing, knowing that Itachi was slowly losing focus. There were still many things his brother could do to him to gain the information he wanted, but a great deal of them were null and void if the man couldn't control his bloodlust.

With a sharp yank, Itachi slammed the back of Sasuke's head against the cave wall, his expression unchanging. "Answer the question. Also, answer this: what is the longest you've gone without..." he spat the word, as though it made him sick, and in truth it did, "_feeding_?"

Sasuke hissed sharply, his vision swimming for a moment before it focused again on Itachi. "Two days in the beginning before you go mad from it and attack the first thing that moves, three if you're lucky, four before you're too weak to hunt at all. What's it to you whether that bastard is dead or alive, anyway?" he responded, narrowing his eyes.

"He has served Orochimaru faithfully for many years. He must have _some_ knowledge. How much blood is required before one is sated?" Itachi kept up the interrogation, calculating in his head. To think that vampires used up blood so quickly... well, it made sense then, that he'd attacked Kisame upon first waking. He'd only gotten droplets of Sasuke's blood. Had he bled out entirely before... dying? He made a note to thank, or at least acknowledge, Kisame and Sasori's work once he returned to headquarters.

"It depends on the vampire," Sasuke answered, shifting slightly in discomfort. His head hurt slightly, but nothing of real consequence. He moved one leg out, stopping when it bumped against Itachi's. _This is stupid. You're not getting anywhere asking questions like that._

"Then tell me everything you know." Itachi leaned closer, pulling Sasuke up by his hair to just inches from the older man's face. "Tell me everything, and tell me the truth. I'll find out what's truth and what's a lie either by myself, or from interrogating and killing first Kabuto, then your sire. Then I will return and finish what I started eight years ago." he finished, his eyes changing, twisting into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Sasuke's eyes widened momentarily before he shut them tight. "Everything I know about _what_?" he spat, instinct already reaching for the tie in self defense, every nerve on edge. Just one look... He didn't know if his own Sharingan could counter the Tsukiyomi yet (or if he had the energy left to use it), but he didn't want to find out. "You're still new, and even though you've fed just one night ago, you've fed me from that. You'll be an animal when they come back for you if you waste your energy like an idiot!" he hissed, knowing it wasn't the right thing to say, but saying it anyway.

"Sasori likely won't return, and if he does, he will be useless to me anyway. My energy use and feeding habits are none of your concern." Itachi experimented with the tie, sending a flood of chakra back through it, and watched Sasuke carefully to gauge his reaction. "Now, everything you know about this curse, including experiences and any information stolen from Orochimaru."

There was a sudden throbbing pain in Sasuke's head, and he didn't quite catch half of what his brother said before he tightened his grip on the tie and pulled hard, unsure of whether or not he hid a wince. _Don't get any ideas, it took me a year to fully block that damn snake, prodigy or not, you won't stop it that easily._ "Just what do you plan on doing with that information? You can't get rid of this curse or I would have already."

"Correction: _you_ can't get rid of this curse." Itachi replied, noting the wince and the recoil of the tie. _Interesting._ "I have the resources, time, and drive to find a way. You wanted this curse so you could attempt to kill me. You wanted power, and brought this fate upon us both. I have no intention of spending the rest of my life a pathetic, cringing, blood-sucking monster."

Sasuke had the audacity to almost laugh at Itachi's stubborn resolve. "All these years I thought you were so damn genius," he started, unable to stop a chuckle. "But listen to yourself! 'I'll find a way to get rid of it, because I'm the _almighty_ Uchiha Itachi!' Don't make me laugh! Do you know how long vampires have been around? If there was a way to get rid of the curse, someone else would have found it by now!"

Daring, he let his eyes open again to lock directly with his brother's, simultaneously manipulating the tie tighter and tighter in order to keep him at bay. "Why should I tell you anything, _Itachi_, when you don't even listen to what I say? Orochimaru brought this curse upon me without my consent, and you brought it upon yourself! How many nights will you spend in _denial_ that none of this will ever change? Surely you _enjoy_ the excuse to _kill_!" he spat, venom in his voice and fangs bared as he lifted his injured hand to drip blood between their faces. _Why don't you just accept it, you're just a different kind of killer now._

Anger flashed in Itachi's eyes for a split second, and for an instant he was tempted to use the Tsukiyomi, to tear the other vampire limb from limb repeatedly for a few days, but that would get him nowhere. Sasuke's words made no sense to him, and why would they? Itachi had always been better than everyone else. He had always been the first, even surpassing ancestors, with the notable exception, of course. He saw absolutely no reason why he should not be the one to undo this terrible curse. As for killing... "Killing people is boring. Everyone dies the exact same way. It became boring before I even became an Anbu. I take no pleasure from killing, and the thought of drinking from someone I've killed - or am in the process of killing - disgusts me. In fact, your desire to kill me leads me to believe that you may be even more twisted than I." Itachi finally said, his eyes narrowing with the last sentence. "Why did you leave Konoha to join Orochimaru?"

The blood dripping between them posed a distraction, and Itachi noted that now, it seemed to stand out in the red world of the Sharingan, rather than blending in. That was new. He bit down the distant desire to grab Sasuke's hand and drink from it (_I don't need any more of his blood._) and focused more intently on his interrogations.

In a sense, the younger's plan was starting to backfire on him. Despite having drained as much as he had from Itachi earlier that day, the man didn't seem nearly as hungry as he should have been. Sasuke, on the other hand, having lost as much blood as he had, still felt the insistent urge to feed, hunger still eating at the edges of his mind, along with something even less natural. "I had no choice," he responded, moving his hand to reach for his brother's face. "I needed to learn what I could about what I'd become. Konoha would have had me locked away and not gotten me anywhere."

"My spy told me that your teacher attempted to protect you during that time. You did not trust his aid, or the concern shown by your teammates?" Itachi responded, moving back slightly. A cool breeze from deep within the cave blew past, stirring up the smell of blood, and Itachi redoubled his efforts to ignore it. _I don't need more blood. I can do without. I don't need it._

"Who are you to question my decisions in life?" Sasuke answered, scathingly. "They couldn't help me, they didn't know what I needed to know." He felt Itachi's unease, felt the hunger vividly and pushed at it. _Take it. It'll be worse in the end if you ignore it._

"As your brother and sole living relative, it's, in a way, my duty. Also, the Hokage has far more information than you think. Her library is my spy's greatest source of information." Itachi grabbed the other vampire's wrist, twisting it to the side and trying to ignore the slick of blood under his hand, removing the temptation from immediate sight. _Silence. Get out of my head._

_Make me._ The challenge came before Sasuke really had a chance to think about it, and he narrowed his eyes sharply, the twist of his wrist causing just the slightest wince. _I'm just speaking for the voice you're ignoring._

"Don't make me kill you." Itachi said, very quietly. Had he the inclination to growl or somesuch, he might have, but such things seemed unnecessary. The interrogation was all but forgotten, and the distraction of Sasuke's blood seemed almost too much to ignore.

"If you wanted to, you would have years ago," Sasuke answered, almost as quiet, shifting a bit to try and rid himself of the discomfort leaning in one position against the wall of a cave was causing. He felt starved all of a sudden, the sound of blood dripping slowly from his elbow onto the cave floor so very loud in his ears.

"There is a difference between wanting to do something, and needing to do something. Your ignorance of that difference betrays your foolishness." Itachi replied. The cave was growing darker, and he guessed that the sun was near setting. If he could hold out for just a little while longer... an hour, at the most...

_Drip... drip... drip..._

"Bastard," Sasuke murmured, staring Itachi down despite how hard it was getting to focus on the man's words. With each drip that echoed in his ears, he was reminded of how much blood he'd lost, most of it slicking the cave floor and soaking his shirt. "You're the one who told me to kill you," he breathed, somehow afraid to speak any louder to break the slowly building trance (though he wasn't sure why). "Killing me now would be a waste."

_I'm not going to be able to... the desert is empty, and will continue to be so... perhaps no one will come, no one will see, no one will know..._

Those words were the last things Itachi thought, before everything went red, then black.

A gasp in the fading light, and the dripping stopped.

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**voco in dubium**: _(Latin)_ to call into question.

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Hmmm... How does one word a warning for dubious consent on behalf of both parties? Somehow, this chapter ended up longer than all of the others so far, but hopefully, that'll make up for the next chapter being short. Because I get the feeling it will be. On another note, hopefully that means it'll be out faster, but judging by the pre-thought-out context... it may take just as long. xx Anyhow, review! We love reviews!

Thanks to all of our reviewers and favorite...ers, and watchers so far! You really make our day!

Eruda: my eyes are burning ; but besides that, I hope everyone enjoyed this! Stay tuned, it gets R-rated in the next chapter!


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